


Invisible

by LadyKae



Series: My Miraculous One Shots and Shorts [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Identity Reveal, Implied Ladrien, Marichat | Adrien Agreste as Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Miraculous Ladybug Love Square Angst, Miraculous Ladybug Love Square Fluff, Rooftop cuddles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:13:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24073507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyKae/pseuds/LadyKae
Summary: Marinette is tearfully bemoaning her current situation when a certain cat drops by. She knows her Kitty doesn't like to see his Princess cry.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: My Miraculous One Shots and Shorts [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1736878
Comments: 26
Kudos: 355





	Invisible

**Author's Note:**

> Was working on a chapter for My Sweetest Princess this morning and was feeling a little angsty. Written for a prompt from Yoru on the Miraculous Fanworks Discord Server:
> 
> Marinette: I sometimes wonder if people would think Ladybug is kinda futile for dating a model, you know...  
> Chat: Well, I know her well enough to know she cares for more than just a pretty face. So, yeah, that never even crossed my mind.  
> M: Never? How come?  
> C: I don't know. I figure she probably knows the boy as a civilian, too...  
> M: Huh, you're probably right... [they remain in silence for a while until Marinette sighs] It must be hard for her, then...  
> C: What?  
> M: That he's never paid enough attention to who she is as a civilian. That she only has his attention as a superhero and the only way she gets to date him is behind the mask.
> 
> Some artistic license has been taken with the dialogue for the prompt, but otherwise it's all there. Hope you all enjoy this little piece!

Marinette stared out along the Parisian skyline, appreciating the inky black shapes set against the night sky like shadows cast against a ceiling. A few tears trickled down her face, and she wiped them away, only to have them replaced by fresh ones. 

Why oh why did she think this was a good idea again? Why had she thought that she’d be happy with this arrangement?

She wasn’t.

Not at all.

It wasn’t fair that she couldn’t tell him how much she loved him to his face when she saw him in class every day. It wasn’t fair that they’d been publicly outed before she had the chance to tell him who she really was. 

Every day made it that much harder to keep up the charade.

Made it that much clearer that she needed to put a stop to this madness.

A loud thump broke Marinette from her ruminations and she glanced up to see Chat Noir crouched before her lounger, staring up at her with worried green eyes.

“Princess?”

“I’m fine, Chat. Just leaking a little so I don’t burst later,” she joked.

“What’s bothering you?”

“Just thinking about a sad situation is all, and I felt myself commiserating before I knew it,” Marinette mumbled as she turned away from his gaze. She wanted to hide in her fluffy blanket, but Chat wouldn’t allow her to close in on herself now that he was here. Sure enough, she felt a small poke at her ribs that insisted she make room for him to cuddle her.

“Why don’t you talk to me about this situation?” he offered.

“The problem, Chat, is that it centers around the guy I like,” Marinette deflected. Chat’s strong arm curled around her shoulders, pulling her flush against him and her head tucked under his chin automatically. 

“Is that so? Why don’t you tell me? I’m sure you might feel a little better in the end. Besides, I might be able to be your wingman in all this. How did this whole thing lead to you commiserating for that matter?” he said. Marinette could feel the grin on his face as he shook her shoulder a little, trying to get her to smile too.

“Not possible. He’s already dating someone else.” Marinette felt her throat grow tight and her arms tightened around Chat’s torso.

“What?! When did this happen? Is he a fucking moron or something?”

“He’s dating Ladybug,” Marinette whimpered.

Chat tensed against her and she heard the hammering of his heart against her ear. “Oh,” was all he said. It was all she needed to know he understood why she was feeling the way she was. His arms tightened around her as he swallowed thickly. “It’s Adrien.”

“Yeah,” Marinette said, unable to keep herself from scoffing. “You know, I sometimes wonder if people feel it’s futile. Her dating a model I mean.”

Chat took a deep breath before he answered. “Well, I know her well enough that she cares more for just a pretty face. So, yeah, that thought never really crossed my mind.”

“Never?” Marinette queried, sitting up and balancing herself with a hand against his chest. “How come?”

Chat gave her a half-hearted shrug before pulling Marinette back down. “I don’t really know, Mari. I always figured she knew the boy as a civilian too,” he answered honestly. 

Marinette couldn’t hold back the self-deprecating scoff that escaped her as more tears spilled down her cheeks. If only Chat truly knew what was going on with this whole situation. “You’re probably right,” she said tremulously. She could feel the sadness peaking, the tears burning at the corners of her eyes stronger and stronger. She let out a shuddering sigh as she tried to pull back from the brink. She didn’t want to lose it like this. Not in front of him. “It must be hard for her then.”

“What do you mean?” His claws were gentle as they drew small, looping circles on her shoulder, an attempt to keep her calm or to remind her she wasn’t as alone in this as she thought.

“That she never stood a chance with him when her competition was a goddamn super heroine. That he never paid attention to her as a civilian. That she’s no longer invisible to him is only because she’s behind the mask,” Marinette choked out. She finally broke then, burying her face against Chat’s chest as she sobbed for all she was worth. “When in fact she probably feels more invisible than before and that’s not fair to either of them and I fucking hate it!”

Chat curled around her, allowing her to let it out in broken mumblings and chest rending sobs. 

“You know—” His voice was soft against her ear and she felt something fall onto her neck. “—she’s probably not the only one who’s feeling invisible.” She felt Chat draw in a shuddering breath of his own and she chanced a look at him.

She was not expecting to see tears streaming down his face too.

He met her eyes, his lower lip quivering with emotion. His hand came up to cup her cheek, and his brow touched hers in a gesture that seemed suddenly too intimate for friends. “It’s possible he’s always loved her, but never thought she’d give him the time of day otherwise. That he’s just as desperate for her to recognize all the sides of himself and not just the one that's plastered to every goddamn billboard in the city.” Chat’s hold on her tightened with those words and she felt him tremble against her. “That he hoped beyond hope that she’s someone he knew and is close to, but now they can never reveal that truth because of a fucking tabloid. That he knows he’s indirectly hurt her by continuing on with this whole thing instead of doing right by her the first time.”

The weight of his words slammed into her, clearing her melancholic vision around the situation. Were they really two sides of the same coin? It begged only one question to be asked.

“How much of this is us projecting versus being personal?” she asked.

His hand smoothed over her cheek, moving towards her neck in a slow, deliberate movement. Chat’s thumb followed the curve of her earring a few times before he swallowed thickly. “You tell me, Princess,” he replied.

“What if I really shouldn’t say?” Marinette’s eyes fluttered closed as his claws glided into the raven black tresses at the back of her neck, the tips of them eliciting gooseflesh as they scratched lightly at her scalp.

“I want to say I understand, but I think we both know you’re trying to deflect for now,” he murmured in her ear. “I want to say two words right now that will change everything and nothing all at once.” Marinette shivered as his breath wafted across her neck, further compounding upon goosebumps he’d already pulled from her seconds before. The tip of his nose dragged against her cheek before running in circles against her own, giving her the contrast between smooth flesh and his rough textured mask. His lips hovered just over her own, their breaths mingling as they clung to this moment between them. “But most of all, Marinette, I don’t want either of us to be invisible any more.”

It was as if a weight lifted from her shoulders with those words. Marinette surged forward, her hands fisting his collar, as her lips slid over his. Chat didn’t hesitate either, as one hand tilted her head to the side while the other pulled her flush against him. Marinette felt one of his ears flick before he stiffened underneath her and he sat up straight, breaking their kiss to peer into the inky black windows surrounding them.

“What is it?” she breathed out. A chill washed over her, making her look towards the left. He followed her line of sight. She could see his eyes darting in several directions before he squinted, narrowing in on something that caught his attention.

“I don’t know yet. Get inside, I’ll check it out.” He was on his feet in less than a second, jumping from the roof as opposed to vaulting like he normally would. 

Marinette crept back down into her bedroom, wanting for all the world to join him, but knowing she couldn’t risk her identity in such a manner.

_Was it really risking it at this point?_

Chat hadn’t outright called her by her alter ego, though he more than hinted at his own. It left her in an odd state of limbo that seemed to grow as vast as the horizon the longer Chat took to come back.

How was she going to clear the air on this?

Marinette didn’t have the time to come up with any ideas as Chat dropped through the skylight, his face set into a scowl.

“Fucking paparazzi,” he growled out. “I cataclysmed the memory card, but I think I have to steer clear of your balcony for a little while after I leave tonight.”

“I understand. We should have figured you were being watched all things considered,” Marinette whispered as she pulled her knees up to her chin.

“I figured all the hubbub with Adrien and LB would have given them more than enough to work with,” he spat.

“Hey Chat?”

“Yeah?”

“What were those two words you were talking about a minute ago? The ones that you said would change everything and nothing all at once?” asked Marinette. A gentle pull at her shoulder turned her towards him, and Chat crawled forward to get face to face with her. 

The smirk on his face was one of self-satisfaction. As if he were the cat that ate the canary and then got the cream afterwards. He tilted her chin up, brushing his lips against hers once, twice. “Is that truly what the lady wishes to ask me?” he whispered.

Marinette’s brow arched as she loosely grabbed the back of his neck, and she leaned back to rest against her pillow. Chat followed her, caging her against the mattress with his body. “The lady?” she questioned, smirking all the while.

Chat’s laughter was soft as he leaned in closer, his gaze hooded and tender. His weight settled against her, their lips brushing once more. “My lady,” he corrected, breathing out his favorite nickname for her. He kissed her fully once more, this time reveling in the zero amount of space between them. He balanced on one hand while the other caressed her side, following her thigh as her leg hooked over his hip. “ And by the way, Marinette?” Another kiss had her giggling against his lips as he pulled the other leg up to match its twin. “Those two words are Claws in.”


End file.
